Hay-loader.



110,850,138. PATBNTBD Aim. 16, 1907.

' H. v GONGROVE.

HAY LOADER.

APPLIOATION fumi 11111.13, 190e.

2 SHEETS-s115212.

, "Il lokal: nrt w., IAINHIM. D.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I'IILAS V. CON GROVE, OF BENDENA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HOWARD SCHWAB, OF BENDENA, KANSAS.

HAY-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application ilcd April 13, 1906. Serial No. 311,409.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern/ Be it known that l, HiLAs V. CoNGnovn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bendena, in the county of Doniphan and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Loaders, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to hay-loading apparatus, and has in view certain novel and thoroughly practical improvements in machines of this character whereby the hay will be thoroughly raked and automatically gathered from the ground and delivered by elevation to the wagon.

To this end the invention contemplates a practical construction of gatherer associated with a lifting-rake and an elevating-conve) er, which positively7 insures the collection of the hay and the steady and uniform elevation and distribution thereof to the wagon, thereby obviating the obj ections to many types of hay-loaders which easily become clogged and practically inoperative in cases where the hay is unusually heavy or damper any obstacle or foreign substance, such as uny ielding yecds or brush, may get entangled with the A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of gatherer revolving at a higher rate of speed than the drive-Wheels of the machine, thus insuring a gathering power to readily take care of all of the hay fed thereto from the lifting-rake.

With these and many other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter -more fully described, illustrated, and claimed. *Y

The essential features of the invention involved in carrying out the objects above indicated are susceptible to structural change without departing from the scope of the invention; but a preferred embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in

l 4 which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a hay-loader constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, of a portion of the gatherer-drum and the elevating-conveyer associated therewith.

Figs. 4 and 5 are detailed elements showing the coupling connection of the carrier-slats with the convey er-chains.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The hay-loading machine covered by the present invention includes in its general organization a main carrying-frame' (designated in its entirety by the numeral l) and having extended therefrom a tongue or pole 2 for connection with a hay-wagon in the ordinary manner, thus providing means whereby the machine may be carried over the ground with the wagon and at the same time automatically gather and elevate the hay in a thorough and expeditious manner.

rlhe main carrying-frame l is mounted on the transverse supporting-axle 3, carrying upon the opposite ends thereof the groundwheels 4, which also subserve the function of drive-wheels for the gathering and convey ing mechanism to be presently referred to.

The wheel-carrying frame l supports and carries all of the working parts of the machine, and the upper or superstructure of the said main frame carries an inclined skeleton elevator-frame 5, within and over which is arranged to work an inclined endless liftingconveyer 6, onto which is fed and delivered the gathered hay and which is so arranged within and about the elevator-frame 5 as to provide for elevating the hay and dropping the same into the wagon arranged beneath the upper or higher end portion of the said conveyer 6.

To insure thoroughly-satisfactory results, the endless lifting-conveyer is of special construction. As plainly shown in l igs. l and 3 of the drawings, the same consists of a pair of oppositelyarranged parallel endless conveyer chains or belts 7, preferably of the sprocket-chain type, a plurality of parallel transversely-arranged carrier-slats 8, oonnecting the opposite chains or belts 7, and a plurality of longitudinal endless web-forming cables or ropes 9, extending longitudinally the full extent of the conveyer and arranged in spaced parallel relation to form the websupporting portion thereof. The said endless web-formmg cables 9 are arranged to extend through receiving-openings 10 in the slats 8, and the latter have fitted to the opposite ends thereof the looped coupling-straps IOO 11, loosely engaging in hanger-eyes 12,-provided at one side of certain of the links of the chains or belts 7.

The upper or higher end portion of the elevating-conveyer 6 is arranged to pass over the u per transverse conveyer-shalt 13, journaledp in bearings 14, arranged at the eX- treme upper end of the frame 5 and carrying oppositely-loeated upper sprocket-wheels 15, over which pass the chains 7 of the conveyor. At the correspondingly oppositelower end of the inclined elevator-irame 5 the conveyer 6 is arranged to pass directly over a gathererdrurn 16, carried by ka drum-supporting shaft 17 jour-naled in suit able bearings 1.8, provided on extension-bars 19 of the carrying-frame 1 at the lower end of the elevator-frame. The drum 16 derives its motion (faster .than that ofthe ground-wheels 4) through the medium .of driving-gears 2O on the ends of the drumsupporting shaft 17, meshing with intermediate idler-pinions2 1, interposed between the said driving-gears 20 and the driving-gears 2.2, secured to and carried by the ground or drive wheels 4 of the machine. Said driving-gears 22 are preferably provided with internal ratchets 23, engaged by a ratchet-dog 24, mounted on each of the wheels 4 and serving to couple the latter tothe gears 22 when the machine is moving in a forward direct-ion. This ratchet coupling, however, permits the machine .to freely back without operating the gatherer-drum and also permits the ground or drive wheels to revolve independently when turning corners or curves.

The gatherer-drum 16 essentially consists of opposite drumheads 25 in the lform of sprocket-gears, receiving thereover the conveyer-chains 7, a plurality of longitudinal body-slats 26, and a plurality of yielding gathering-fingers 27. The slats 26 are bolted or otherwise -secured at their ends to supporting-lugs 28 at the inner sides of the drumheads orgears 25, and the gathering-ingers 27 essentially consist of hay-engaging pins projecting beyond the slats 26 and having spring-coiled body portions 27EL spirally or 'helically coiled about the slats 26 and fastened thereto. The Jfingers 27 are arranged in spaced relation upon the slats 26 and are located between the cables 9, which also pass about the slatted body ofthe frame.

The gatherer-drum 16 is held elevated above the ground, and associated therewith is a rear lifting-rake 28', consisting of a series of tines arranged approximately concentric to the drum and secured fast to a rocking rake-bar 29. This rocking rake-bar is journaled in suitable bearings 30 on a supportingiirame extension 31 and carries an adjustinglever 32, provided with a suitable latch device 33, engaging notches in the notched lockingsegrnent 34, arranged on the frame extension 31. Through the medium of the lever 32 the rake may be thrown in and out of action and when lowered serves to rake the hay from the ground and guide the same to a position where it is caught up by the fingers of the gatherer-drum and carried onto the elevating-conveyer and thence to the wagon.

A plurality of shield-bars 35 are preferably arranged longitudinally over the upper run of the conveyer to hold the hay onto the latter in windy weather, and in acorresp ond- -ing position below the lower run of the conveyer are arranged a plurality of longitudinally-disposed conveyer-guards 36, which serve to prevent sagging down of the said lower rrun of the conveyer-web.

l claimn a hay-loader, a wheeled inclined elevator-frame, a gatherer-drum arranged at the lower end of' the frame and consisting of sprocket-heads provided with inwardly-projecting supporting-lugs, a .plurality of spaced longitudinal body-slats secured at their ends to said lugs, and a series of spaced gatheringfingers mounted on each of said slats, and each having a helically-coiled spring-body encircling the slat, an upper conveyer-shait carrying sprockets, an endless elevating-conveyer passing over the slats of the gathererdrum and also over the upper conveyershaft, said conve 4er having chains engaging both sets of sproclets, driving mechanism for the gatherer-drum, and an independentlyadjustable lifting-rake arranged in rear of the gathererdrum and projecting below the plane of the latter.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. HILAS V. CON GROVE. Witnesses:

Z. E. JACKSON, MYRTLE CAMPBELL. g

IOO 

